


Masquerading before Midnight

by LozisLaw



Category: Adventure Time
Genre: Adventure Time with Fionna and Cake, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Break Up, Candy, Candy Kingdom, Classical Music, Costume Parties & Masquerades, Food, Friendship, Getting Back Together, Hatred, Love Confessions, M/M, Party, Party Crashers, Partying, Past Relationship(s), Reconciliation Sex, Royalty, Stress Relief, Tension, Uninvited Guests, slow dance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:35:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24961657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LozisLaw/pseuds/LozisLaw
Summary: Marshall Lee crashes a masquerade ball thrown by Prince Gumball in the Candy Kingdom. Gumball is sick of that childish vampire, and wants him to leave. But Marshall never listens to him.And he’s glad.
Relationships: Prince Gumball & Marshall Lee, Prince Gumball/Marshall Lee
Comments: 6
Kudos: 117





	Masquerading before Midnight

Everything was in perfect order. The decorators had set up the ballroom to exquisite decorum, with excellently tasteful colours of pink to overlay the designs. The tables laid out feast upon feast of delicate cuisines, candies and spaghettis of all kinds for the guests. Sparkling juice and punch made specially for this event only. The moon was coursing in its natural projection in the astral system, meaning it was close enough to Aaa that it’s shine overshadowed the grand stained sugar windows with magnificent glowing light. Even though the evening was perfect in its trajectory to provide this evening overshine, Gumball ordered the chandeliers to be lit in the high ceilings of the ballroom anyway. The place looked beyond decadent, like a colourful layered cake, and Gumball praised his subjects warmly for their efforts that worked out so perfectly, for this perfect night.

It was the yearly masquerade ball in the Candy Kingdom, dutifully preserved by him since its tradition began. Everyone with an invitation was invited to attend, and the party spent the whole night having fun in festive masks, eating more than their stomach could fit, and dancing the night away with the candy kingdom symphony orchestra personally overseen by Prince Gumball himself. He spent the whole year planning the event, and he could say it was the most important social gathering, for its annual catch up between the princes of Aaa, and putting aside petty concerns for one night to party with his fun and cute subjects. His reputation was largely based on this party, and every year he can confidently say he’s secured every precaution to make sure it works out perfectly without any mishaps or zombie invasions, or renegade attendees that could spoil the party with their tomfoolery. Fiona and Cake helped him with that, and making sure the party wasn’t known to anyone who could crash it or spoil it in any way. His younger years proved the importance of that precaution. It’s an embarrassing time that he doesn’t like to recall to memory, because he’s perfected the art of throwing parties now, and he would never make that mistake again. Ahem, anyways.

Gumball was awaiting the first of the guests at six o clock, hoping most of them would be punctual and the fun could begin. He decked himself in a classic bubblegum pink tuxedo with a hot pink undershirt and a tail. Adding his customary magenta cufflinks and puffed sleeves, and some purple shined boots he made specially for this event, to look fashionable but be comfortable enough for a night of dancing and entertaining his guests. He’s had a lot of prepare for, after all. Gumball wore a fuchsia mask imitating a birds wings, that he designed and made himself, specially for tonight. His coiffed pink hair was licked back in regal style. He was ready for a perfect night.

**

Gumball knew for sure that everything was officially perfect when Fionna and Cake arrived, dressed in their customary ballroom dresses and wearing their own unique animal masks. Well, Fionna was, in that nice white poofy dress with gold entrails. It made him happy to know they’d made an effort, knowing what a typical tomboy Fionna tended to be. Cake was wearing a pretty pink ribbon around her neck, and Lord Monochromicorn flew to her immediately, Gumball following behind. The fact that they were here, dressed for a party, and not a fight, was what gave him the biggest relief, because that meant nothing could go wrong now. They’d personally overseen everything, and it was perfect.

Fionna smiled and waved Gumball over when he approached, Cake already heading off in a different direction with Lord M.

‘’Greetings Fionna, I’m so glad you could attend tonight,’’ Gumball said with smile, taking Fionna’s hand. Fionna rolled her eyes at him.

‘’Hey, dude. You don’t have to be so formal with me, it’s a party!’’ Fionna said.

‘’Oh, I know, but you should know how grateful I am that you were able to ensure the safety of everyone here, it’s very important to me,’’ Gumball said.

‘’It wasn’t that hard to do, sending out invitations to good guys and bad guys is an artform me and Cake have mastered,’’ Fionna said, grinning. She looked around the lavish ballroom, and Gumball tried not to project how much it mattered that his interior designing was received well by the guests. He’d interview some others later in the ball.

‘’This place looks- big,’’ Fionna said, looking up at the chandeliers.

‘’It is big,’’ Gumball said, resisting the urge to ask more what she thought.

‘’Hey, are you alright man?’’ Fionna asked, turning back to him. Gumball regarded her with surprise.

‘’Me? Of course I’m fine, this is my annual masquerade party, it’s the funnest party of the year!’’

‘’Yeah- but. Are you having fun? You don’t have to stress yourself out to make sure everyone is having a good time. You just have to have one, and they’ll follow,’’ Fionna said earnestly. Gumball wondered if he was taking it too seriously. No, of course not, someone has to worry, it was all for the wellbeing of the party.

‘’I’m fine Fionna. Go and enjoy yourself, you deserve it,’’ Gumball offered. Fionna frowned and narrowed her eyes at him, and he met her stare, determined to prove he would have fun- in his own way. It was barely her business anyways.

‘’Fine, I’m gonna go find Cake,’’ Fionna said, turning away and swishing in her poofy dress. Gumball considered what she said, and decided he would’ve concern himself with that nonsense. This party was for everyone else to have fun. He was here to make that happen, and everyone seemed to be having fun so far. It looked like everyone invited had arrived. Gumball signalled his gummie orchestra to begin their first piece, and soft classical music soon filled the ballroom with a splendid lilt, and everything was perfect.

Until everything wasn’t.

Gumball didn’t even notice at first, just happened to have moments of something tense that settled that made him feel uneasy. Deciding that he was just slightly dizzy from conversing with the other guests, he wade over to the refreshments and selected the special fizzing punch made for tonight.

Seeing the party from the side of the room while tingly punch slipped down his throat and made it tickle, was enough to make him feel better. The party seemed to be going well. Nothing bad had happened yet, it was just his worry that it might making him nervous. He sipped more sweet fizzy punch, and walked back to join a group of princes conversing.

Next was the chills, tingling up his spine, making him shiver. Gumball turned over his shoulder, thinking someone was standing behind him, like they were breathing down his neck. There was nothing, and again he felt nervous. He ignored the feeling, and listened to a conversation Flame prince was having with Turtle prince. Something about burnt library books, he couldn’t much pay attention with the feeling that someone was watching him.

He had a bad feeling, and he didn’t want to speculate what it was, but the idea was making him steadily more unhinged. He decided he couldn’t stay right here, and excused himself from the conversation, getting even more on edge as he turned a corner of the ballroom and headed outside to the balcony, needing some air.

It was odd, usually important and heavy functions were his jam and butter, and he never got nervous or titchy like that. He usually got that way with something else, and the growing awareness of it made his chest pound. Not quite anger, but it was certainly part of it. He braced his hands on the curled bars of the railing and looked down to the kingdom below, trying to find any semblance of comfort to compose himself with.

What he found instead was more chills down his back, trailing down his arm, right through to his fingertips. Oh glob, no.

The unsettled feeling grew like a virus, spreading everywhere, making Gumball extremely aware of his surroundings, particularly right behind him, where he was most afraid to look, because that meant…

‘’Why, good evening your majesty.’’

Him.

Gumball braced himself as he turned around, coming face to face with a shadow as dark as night with glowing green eyes blaring into him with a smirking disobedience. The shadow grinned, showing off sharp fangs, and quickly morphed again, shrinking down to a pale skinned vampire of a demonsque appearance, black hair swaying over his eyes in stylishly dishevelled disarray that attracted certain people. Other people, obviously.

‘’You,’’ Gumball said, not bothering hiding his disdain, knowing it would tick Marshall Lee off. Or hoping so anyway. Marshall grinned at him and floated up, and that’s when Gumball noticed he wasn’t in his typical ‘punk, don’t carish’ attire, but was wearing a black tux, the bowtie undone and dishevelled to show his neck.

‘’What are you wearing?’’ Gumball asked before he could think better. ‘’What are you doing here?’’ He said immediately afterwards, not deigning acknowledging his appearance. Marshall noticed anyway and winked at him, and Gumball flushed hard, looking away from his piercing eyes.

‘’Why, your grace, I thought everyone was invited your famous masquerade party? Am I not everyone?’’ Marshall said, feigning hurt, holding his chest. Gumball scowled.

‘’No, the invitation is for everyone who wouldn’t prove a threat to this kingdom,’’ he corrected.

Marshall laughed from the air, ‘’What and I’m a threat?’’

‘’You would cause trouble and create chaos, ruining the party for everyone else,’’ Gumball said, crossing his arms. His face still felt hot, and he checked inside. The door had been shut, but he could see from through the glass that no one seemed troubled. He didn’t feel secure though, what with this creature now lurking here. He just had to get him to vacate his kingdom as soon as he could, and things would be fine again.

‘’Ah, I see. So you call talking to boring princes and eating bonbons fun?’’ Marshall asked.

‘’It’s better than your idea of fun, which is killing, and destroying everyone’s hard work,’’ Gumball said, getting angrier, forgetting to remain neutral in front of Marshall Lee. The guy always got on his nerves, throughout all their history, and he never perfected this part, even when he needed it most.

Marshall just smiled from the air, his eyes closed, swaying in the air with his legs kicked back like he was lying on a sofa.

‘’You’re too serious Bubba.’’

Gumball could feel his cheeks burning now, he couldn’t hide it. No one called him that, ever. Only Marshall had ever dared it, at a different time. This was just painful, and uncalled for.

‘’Don’t call me that,’’ Gumball said stiffly, turning away when Marshall Lee opened his eyes again and looked at him.

‘’You’re still so sensitive about that. It’s not like it’s a bad name-‘’

‘’It’s not the name! It’s you! Just-‘’ Gumball flushed at the pitch of his voice, and turned away again, not in the mood to spoil the perfection of this party with Marshall’s little games that keep him trapped with these emotions.

‘’Hey-‘’

‘’Just stop. I don’t want you here, you’re just a menace that will destroy all my hard work of this event. Just leave, I don’t need this right now.’’

Gumball averted his gaze when Marshall swayed towards him, meeting his eyes while upside down.

‘’Stop it.’’

Marshall Lee just swayed closer, tickling his hair in front of Gumball’s eyes.

‘’Honestly, just stop. Go back to your scary dark cave or something,’’ Gumball tried, swatting him away.

‘’Fine, I’ll stop. But I’m still attending this party. I have an invitation as a plus one.’’

‘’What? Who?’’ Gumball scowled.

‘’Lumpy Space Prince,’’ Marshall Lee said, raising an eyebrow at him. Gumball should’ve known, LSP didn’t listen to anyone. He probably thought the party was in his honour.

‘’Ugh, fine. Just stay away from me. And don’t burn anything down or I’ll kill you,’’ Gumball warned him, jabbing a finger in his face.

‘’Don’t worry about me Gummie, I’m a good little boy.’’ Marshall said, grinning and showing off a fang again. Gumball doubted that, but he didn’t want any more globbing drama, so he’d put up with Marshall if he stayed quietly in the corner or something. Out of Gumball’s way at least.

Gumball stalked back into the party, though the purpose of that breather was to calm down. Knowing he wouldn’t not be tense for the rest of the night with Marshall Lee loitering around, feeling like he was still breathing down his neck. Just knowing he was around was like a pierce in Gumball’s chest anyway, and it’s not gonna go away until he’s gone, out of sight, and that won’t happen, the rest of the night Gumball’s gonna be seeing Marshall everywhere, because that’s just what he does.

He tries to ignore as Marshall Lee drifts across the room and disappears into the crowd, a threat. The threat of him being ever close but not being seen lingers as Gumball tries to ignore everything and just focus on anyone else. For a while it works, he delves into a conversation with Purple prince about some dealings of his kingdom.

For a while, the tension from that earlier inconvenience starts to drop from him, and he’s almost enjoying himself again, cruising through each conversation overshadowed by his talented orchestra and pleasant background chatter. Things are almost normal again, that is, until he catches Marshall talking to Fionna and Cake.

He’s not even sure what the problem is, but he feels compelled over there to damage control, as if Fionna and Cake are unfamiliar with his childish antics. He shuffles over to them as calmly and suavely as he can manage, trying not to convey sincere alarm on his face. The smug satisfied look on Marshall Lee’s face is taunting, telling Gumball to do something about it, and Gumball breathes deeply and approaches, not deigning to play into it.

‘’Gumball! Get over here,’’ Cake said when he approached, trying to look calm for Fionna’s sake, who seems to earnestly want him to have fun. There’s no way he could with this Raven deviant lurking every corner of the place, even when he’s not. His presence is just overwhelming.

‘’Hello Cake, Fionna,’’ Gumball greeted, nodding. ‘’Marshall,’’ He added quietly, supressing a frown. Marshall stuck his forked tongue out to him.

‘’Dude, this party is amazing! Do you know there’s cakes, with jello inside! Jello!’’ Fionna exclaimed, stuffing in another one in her mouth. Cake nudged her, and Fionna smiled sheepishly, her mouth stuffed.

‘’Ladies, everything is fine over here, yes? You’re enjoying the party so far?’’ Gumball politely asked, glancing at Marshall suspiciously, who smirked at him in response, annoyingly.

‘’Dang, Gumball, go on and enjoy yourself, the party is great, chill,’’ Cake exclaimed.

‘’Yeah, Gumball, chill,’’ Marshall repeated, lingering closer. Gumball rolled his eyes at him, and Marshall leant his elbow on his shoulder. The touch lit Gumball on fire, and he froze stiff.

‘’Remove your arm from me this instant,’’ Gumball said angrily, his cheeks flushed. He only felt ashamed for his outburst when Fionna and Cake recoiled and gave him an odd look. Marshall just yawned and put his arm back down.

‘’Whatever,’’ Marshall said, floating away from them and back into the crowd. Gumball felt hot all over, his tux suddenly felt too tight, and he turned back to Fionna giving him a look and Cake piling food down her throat.

‘’Are you okay?’’ Fionna asked when he just stood there, flushed and embarrassed, lacking composure. He couldn’t believe the nerve of that guy, honestly. The nerve to do something so casual as though they were buddies, when he knows darn well they’re not. And they never will be. They can’t.

‘’Will you ladies excuse me for a minute,’’ Gumball said, as gently as he could manage. Fionna shrugged, and Cake had turned back to the buffet table. Gumball turned away from them and stiffly walked away, trying to convey to anyone watching that he was okay. He was great- perfect, always. Nothing was wrong, according to them. They didn’t need to know his internal struggle.

It shouldn’t be a struggle. He should be completely fine, maybe slightly bored of Marshall’s childishness, his obvious ploys for attention but he just couldn’t let go. He’d never been good at getting over stuff.

He felt like Marshall was everywhere he looked, he couldn’t get away from him. There wasn’t a single place he could be alone with his thoughts, not without being reminded of Marshall, not without being corrupted by him. Why did he have to make it so hard?

Stupid Marshall Lee.

He just messed people up, he found a sick fun in making people’s lives harder, like Gumball’s, by calling them names no one but him have ever said in the most private moments. Gah.

Gumball escaped back to the balcony, well aware this would be a prime spot for Marshall to attack him again with insensitive words and emotions. He just needed to not be swarmed by everyone in their masks and fancy dress. It was simply too much with so much on his plate.

‘’Damn Bubba. You make things hard for no reason.’’

Gumball turned to Marshall, who was floating out from the balcony, his black overcoat was gone, now just wearing a rumpled white shirt with his annoyingly undone tie. He was staring at Gumball boredly, giving him an expectant look.

‘’What are you doing here?’’

It was a pointless question with a pointless answer, but Gumball just didn’t want to say anything else, give anything else up. He was cold, the outside air was chilly, and felt unbearably stiff in this vampires presence. He felt tired of all these antics. It was amazing how quickly his optimism for the event had turned into this tired weariness, but he was just so fed up, and couldn’t maintain indifference anymore. Marshall looked at him like he knew this, and it just annoyed him more. He was supposed to be maintaining a great party, not entertaining a self-absorbed vampire with his own agenda.

‘’You’re not having fun,’’ Marshall said. An redundant observation.

‘’What’s it to you,’’ Gumball said, crossing his arms.

‘’It’s a party. The point is to have fun,’’ Marshall said. A palpable observation.

‘’Duh. And I’m trying to make sure everyone has fun. No thanks to you.’’

‘’Ha! You really don’t know anything after all this time. I’ll turn this party freaky nasty, it’ll be remembered for years,’’ Marshall claimed. Gumball scoffed.

‘’Oh right, you’re gonna sing some song and people will suddenly enjoy themselves. Well done, that’s completely original.’’

‘’It’s a better idea than that fancy orchestra you’ve hired to play drab tunes meant for old people. Gimme five minutes on stage, and everyone will be cheering,’’ Marshall challenged. Gumball knew better than to fall into this obvious trap. Either way, Marshall gets satisfaction.

He glanced inside again, and suddenly noticed how still the party seemed. No one was dancing, just talking, not even swaying. A deep well in Gumball’s gut fell when he realised how dry the party was. And it was because of him. He wasn’t haven’t having fun. He’d been so stressed about the success of this party that he forgot about simple pleasures of enjoyment. Marshall saw this before him. Of course he did.

‘’Okay. Just- please. Save my party,’’ Gumball pleaded, turning back to Marshall. He realised how pathetic just sounded, and he cringed, but Marshall didn’t seem to notice. He just stared at Gumball- intensely, Gumball realised, and drew his hand up to Gumball’s cheek. And touched him there softly. Gumball flushed, slowly melting, and Marshall smiled.

‘’Don’t worry Bubba. I’ll slay this place.’’

Gumball felt like the touch sent him into a comatose daze, as he walked back into the ballroom, Marshall floating above, moving toward the orchestra at the stage on the other side of the room. He watched, his cheeks still hot, as Marshall caused a pause within the band, and took charge quickly, donning a guitar and microphone.

The party was suddenly interested, turning toward Marshall Lee with mild and growing excitement when they realised what was happening, and Gumball hoped to glob it would work. He trusted Marshall- actually trusted him, to succeed. He always did win.

‘’Hey, Eberhardt. Play me those good tunes on your keys,’’ Marshall said, pointing to the pianist, who beamed at him and turned to start playing gentle notes, as though he knew what to play already.

The song started softly, just Marshall thrumming his guitar. It wasn’t his usual bass axe, which was surprising, but Gumball realised he left it behind to don in his tux for the occasion. That realisation was like a hive of bees in Gumball’s stomach, which he would’ve hated earlier in the evening.

When Marshall started singing, Gumball realised how long it had been since he’d even heard him sing. He took advantage to appreciate his voice before he started picking up the lyrics.

_’Slow dance with you’_

_‘I just wanna slow dance with you’_

Marshall was staring at him. From high above where he swayed to the audience, he looked down straight at Gumball as he sang. At first, Gumball just thought it was a coincidence, but he didn’t look away. Awareness flood through him, and his limbs suddenly felt jiggly. His knees were shaking, actually shaking. He was holding back emotions unknown behind a pinched face, and Marshall continued, swaying through the air liquidly, and people were starting to realise who he was actually singing to.

_‘Why don’t you take the chance?’_

_‘I’ve got the moves I’d like to prove’_

A rock felt lodged in Gumball’s throat, as Marshall sang around him, circling him, the crowd now moved away, making a circle around Gumball as he shook and blushed and stared at Marshall, unsure if he should yell at him to stop embarrassing him, or just go on letting him do it, and just let his chest pound. He didn’t move regardless.

By the time Marshall had finished, the crowd was cheering, whooping for more, but Marshall dropped down in front of Gumball, everyone was staring, and Gumball finally took awareness in the situation.

‘’Go on and finish,’’ Gumball urged him, trying to convey this was not the place. Marshall stared at him, frowned, then floated back to the stage, not looking back.

Marshall started another song, this time staying up the front of the stage. Gumball couldn’t hear the words anymore, and he finally took this as the excuse he needed to leave the ballroom entirely. He slipped out of the doors as everyone was distracted with Marshall Lee’s sweet singing.

Gumball made it all the way through the hallways, away from everyone, before he led himself crumble. He fell to the ground against the wall, hands shaking, heart pounding, and most embarrassingly, his fancy pants tight and wet from the inside. He didn’t even notice it until he escaped the room, he didn’t realise a lot of things.

Things like the fact that apparently Marshall Lee still had feelings for him. That after their disastrous relationship where it inevitably ended less than amicably, Gumball couldn’t stop loving the person who was currently performing beautiful ballads for a party he had meticulously planned for over a year that was on the brink of failure. He saved the crowd, and it cost Gumball his self-control. He’d been doing so well to push everything down, to admit only contempt for him. But it was just so dang hard. He couldn’t, and now he was shaking out of his body over it, over admitting that it wasn’t working.

The hallways felt quiet and empty, and it was exactly what he needed, but it was also terrible, and he felt even more lost and confused than before. He could only be alone with his thoughts, and the only one he had was: you donked up.

He stayed there for a while. Time felt irrelevant, but if he had to catalogue, it would probably account for either a few hours, or a few minutes. He felt so mangled up inside that he couldn’t care about his ball. He took of his winged mask, and stared at it, scratching a sore spot the mask dug into near his eye.

‘’Hey Bubba.’’

Gumball looked up at Marshall who stood before him, looking down at him with an unreadable expression.

‘’Why’d you have to play that song?’’ Gumball asked, feeling his blasted cheeks get hotter again. Marshall Lee shrugged. He joined Gumball on the floor and sat there beside him with his back against the wall, looking to the other side.

‘’You didn’t invite me to your ball. I thought I’d get revenge,’’ Marshall said. Gumball scoffed.

‘’Surely you understand why I didn’t. Even if you weren’t a danger hazard, I was in no state to have to see you- everywhere I looked-‘’

Gumball shut his pie hole when he said that, and Marshall just stared out, sighing.

‘’I haven’t seen you in a while.’’

‘’Well,’’ Gumball said.

‘’I missed you.’’

Marshall seemed so frank and casual about when Gumball boggled at him, and he smiled.

‘’It’s always a treat when I get to confuse you,’’ Marshall snickered. Gumball laughed and feebly shoved his arm. Marshall Lee scruffed up his hair in revenge, and Gumball moaned complaint, trying to pat his hair back to pristine neatness.

‘’How dare you,’’ Gumball said, not seriously. Marshall smirked.

‘’C’mon Gummie, I’ve messed your hair up worse than that in the past,’’ Marshall joked. Gumball bogged at him for being so candid about their history. No one actually talked about it to him, because no one else knew. It was quite a long time ago.

‘’Don’t mention that,’’ Gumball said, blushing again. Marshall sighed again.

‘’Does it embarrass you?’’

‘’No! I just- it’s not appropriate.’’

‘’What, there’s no one else here. Just us,’’ Marshall said, gesturing around the stark empty halls. Everyone was back in the ballroom.

‘’Weren’t you supposed to be performing?’’ Gumball asked, avoiding that implication for now, still red.

‘’I gave the job over to the better members of the orchestra, who could keep an audience,’’ Marshall said.

‘’Ah, good. Thank you,’’ Gumball said awkwardly. The sudden closeness of Marshall to him where he sat, made him want to simultaneously shimmy closer, and inch further away. So he was caught awkwardly wiggling in place, suddenly aware of his pants, that situation hadn’t gotten any better.

‘’Do you wanna hang out?’’

Gumball had hurriedly asked if he wanted to spent some time together at the same time Marshall asked him, and they both laughed when they realised.

**

So that’s how they spent the evening sitting above the castle where the ball was being held, on the roof where they could see the whole kingdom from a darkly shaded night perspective. Marshall had flown them up, and Gumball forgot how exhilarating it was, being flown like that, the pure height adrenaline.

‘’How do you put up with all the wads in this kingdom?’’ Marshall asked at one point, leaning on his back to look at the stars. Gumball was beside him, staring up at them, mesmerised. He’d sufficiently calmed down a lot, and he was relaxed now. It was amazing how different his whole body felt once he stopped worrying about the party. They were fine down there anyways.

‘’They’re my children, I care for all of them. No matter what, I love them all,’’ Gumball replied. Marshall chuckled.

‘’So…If I married you, they’d be my kids too?’’

Gumball turned to him with an incredulous stare, and Marshall raised his eyebrows and grinned.

‘’If you wanna think that way, then sure,’’ Gumball said, trying to imagine Marshall as the father of his subjects. The notion sounded pretty ridiculous, but it made his chest beat faster. Mostly at the idea that they’d be together.

They couldn’t. Not anymore. Really.

‘’I think I could get on board, being a king and a daddy’’ Marshall grinned.

‘’What are you really doing here?’’ Gumball asked suddenly, realising the question he’d been rhetorically asking him all night was the one he really wanted to know. Marshall sat up, and Gumball followed, suddenly tense again.

‘’I was supposed to just mess with you and show up to wreck your confidence or something, but- I stayed. I guess,’’ Marshall said, shrugging, looking out onto the kingdom.

‘’You said you missed me before,’’ Gumball pointed out. Marshall glanced at him.

‘’I do. You’re fun when you take that stick out from wherever it’s wedged,’’ Marshall said. Gumball smirked, despite the insult. He’d heard that one from Marshall before, and under better circumstances it had more of an endearment.

‘’I’m very fun, see the ball I planned,’’ Gumball said.

‘’And yet you still begged me to sing to save it,’’ Marshall Lee pointed out, flicking Gumball’s tux.

‘’It wouldn’t have been a party unless you sang, I refused to admit it before, but you’re right,’’ Gumball said.

‘’You’ve been getting so uptight lately, I was really shocked when I saw you. You’re just a stressed out little gumball,’’ Marshall said.

‘’I’ve been working. Running a kingdom doesn’t allow me time to have fun. I had tonight anyways, not that it helped much,’’ Gumball snorted at his attempt to act happy and calm, when he’s been having trouble sleeping for weeks now.

‘’What’s wrong? Why aren’t you relaxing? You’ve been ruling the Candy Kingdom for centuries, you’ve never been this bad, you always had a system of work and play,’’ Marshall said. Gumball bit his lip, wondering if he could say so.

‘’That song- that you sang,’’ Gumball said, changing the subject. Marshall frowned at him, and averted his eyes when Gumball waited for an answer.

‘’Yeah, well. I’ve had it for a while. I just thought it was kind of appropriate. It’s better than me singing about how I want to bury you in the ground, with your pretty pink face and junk,’’ Marshall said.

‘’Pretty pink face,’’ Gumball smiled. Marshall Lee flushed, and shoved him in the arm.

‘’Shut up, you know what I think of you,’’ Marshall said.

‘’But you know I’d love to hear it again,’’ Gumball teased, holding Marshall’s arm from him escaping. Marshall turned back to him, hissing softly, then his eyes softening as Gumball held on. Gumball didn’t even consciously do that. He was just so used to holding on to him- before.

‘’Bubba,’’ Marshall said.

‘’It’s been so long,’’ Gumball said, pleading with his eyes. He had no idea what he was doing, but looking at Marshall had officially become painful, and he didn’t want to do it anymore unless he knew he could have him.

‘’Two hundred years, three months, and thirteen days,’’ Marshall said. Gumball widened his eyes, surprised Marshall had been tracking the time too.

‘’Marshy,’’ Gumball said- pathetically, but it didn’t matter how pathetic he made himself to him, Marshall knew. He knew everything, he always did.

It felt just as good as two hundred years ago, when he leant in and softly kissed Gumball. Gumball welcomed it warmly, already heartsick about the time spent, wasted on being apart. He made up for it now, and wantonly opened his mouth, letting that deliciously volatile forked tongue flick into his mouth, first timidly, then stronger, wetter, more confident. Gumball hasn’t kissed anyone in all that time anyway, he feels severely out of practise, even if it is just Marshall, and they went through everything together.

So, if in his diary he’d ever noted places where he imagined being kissed again, it would never comes across to be the roof of the ballroom in the castle. If anything he might’ve chosen his bedroom, where Marshall used to sneak in through the window at night for a series of what Gumball would call the best sexual experiences of his life, until morning when he escaped again at dawn. He might’ve also chosen Marshall’s lair, because he feels like knowing the taste of Marshall’s lips again, he would’ve broken sooner or later and run back to him to reconcile. But yeah, the roof was not the place he would have guessed it would happen.

Eventually, they did leave the roof, and Marshall Lee carried Gumball back into the castle through a window. Once they were back down, they stared at each other for a few moments, and Gumball suddenly felt uneasy about everything. He wasn’t sure how to progress, he didn’t really have a plan.

‘’Um,’’ Gumball said, holding his hand out. Marshall looked down at it, then back at him.

‘’What.’’

‘’Um- Marshall. Would you care to- I mean. Could I be obliged to- uh, will you-‘’

‘’Bub, just say it,’’ Marshall said, smirking, amused. Of course he already knows, the smug thing. Gumball left all caution in the wind and leapt to Marshall, clumsily crashing their lips together.

‘’Will you love me?’’ Gumball asked against Marshall cool lips, his face heating at the obscene request, even though Marshall was kissing him again like he wouldn’t even make it to Gumball’s bedroom, which- maybe.

‘’All night long Gummie.’’

**

So, uh- ahem.

They did make it to Prince Gumball’s bedroom, but many pitstops with frantic making out through the hallways occurred before they could get there and- ahem.

So now here he was, unable to believe that this is actually happening, even as it did, and is. Stark naked on his back, Marshall just ripped his tux apart when he couldn’t get it open quick enough, and Gumball realised he wouldn’t be returning to the party. Not that he really wanted to.

Marshall was right though, he was like a stone wall of tension, and Marshall’s tongue was like lava, melting him into a satisfied puddle, licking him everywhere, sucking anywhere he was sweetest, and biting the parts that made Gumball moan loudest, the most sensitive gum. Gumball would have puncture marks everywhere in the morning, and the idea of it makes him leak out into his pale pink sheets, drooling over Marshall’s attentions all over him.

‘’You’re so tense,’’ Marshall muttered, before licking up the new production pooling around his legs from his wiener. The pureness of his tongue in the rawest places made Gumball moan and beg to stop, asking exactly the opposite. Marshall still knew, after all this time, exactly what he liked, and he was still perfect. He was perfect.

The realisation was starting to make Gumball weepy, and he pulled Marshall back up to him for a mouth-watering kiss, taking the breath out of his lungs in the effort to convey this. They didn’t delay much longer, to what was always being built up.

It had been so long. Both in the sentimental and practical sense, and probing confirmed that it had been so long that Gumball was tighter than a freshly baked scone. One of the most perfect things about Marshall was his shapeshifting, because this only meant he could adjust the size of his cock to align with Gumball’s needs. Back when, they were more reckless, and much younger, and sometimes Marshall gave himself a monster sized cock and fucked Gumball with it. It was one of the best fucks he’s ever had in his life. He couldn’t even sit down afterwards, it was that incredible. Remembering that, made it easier, to take the size Marshall gave him this time, which was much smaller, like he was trying not to hurt him.

Gumball was almost relieved about this, because after so long, he wasn’t sure his body could handle much more. Not yet anyway.

The feeling though, sent sparks right through his spine and activated chemicals in his brain, he could actually feel it, the pure scientific chemistry just from the sensation of Marshall’s throbbing cock fitting inside him, intruding him, lighting up his sensory nerves in the most deliciously pleasurable fashion. He couldn’t help think about every biological reaction this purest feeling gave him. Blood was sent to his own, making him leak from the head, his head felt dizzy- a good dizzy, his sweat glands were activated, as were Marshall Lee’s, who grind into him, licking the sweat from his neck lazily. The friction of the movement inside him, more nerves activated, sent to his brain, which were sent to nerves in other parts of his body, like his fingers, which tingled. Also activated was the sensations that caused involuntary sounds from him, or more descriptively- the shouts and desperate moans that escaped his throat and were swallowed straight into Marshall’s mouth with hungry swaths of his tongue.

‘’Oh glob, Marshy,’’ Gumball whimpered, not even feeling bad about his pathetic sounding whine when Marshall pushed deeper- fucking him deeper. It was a colloquial term ‘fucking’, a word he’d usually sneer at, and Marshall would use in abundance, but it felt so right in this context, there was no other word. Marshall was fucking him- fucking him hard, his cock growing the more confident and hungry Gumball became in his shouts for more. Feeling his cock grow while inside him, was the ultimate pleasure, and he couldn’t hold back. Too much blood had rushed between his legs, too much pressure. He spurted all over himself and Marshall, and screamed with delirious ecstasy, barely aware of which century they were in anymore. It didn’t matter, they’d been around for longer than anyone, they would be here long after.

They were in his bedroom, that’s right. There was a party still going in the ballroom. Gumball would have to make himself present again, no matter being fucked by his amazingly complicated Marshall earlier. He felt perfectly sated and tired, in a way that made him not want to escape this plush pink bed ever, as long as Marshall stayed with him and cuddled him, just like he loved.

When Marshall Lee finally finished, and the feeling of him spurting inside Gumball left a slightly gooey, but smug feeling inside him, he decided to leave it, not wash for now. His legs were trembling around him when Marshall dropped down into Gumball, removing himself- immediately cuddling into him, to Gumball’s immense glee.

‘’So will you admit it now?’’ Marshall asked, rubbing his face and tucking himself around Gumball like a safety net.

‘’Admit what?’’ Gumball asked.

‘’That you still love me.’’

‘’What? What gave you the idea I’d ever stopped, huh?

‘’Well. You stopped talking to me, for one,’’ Marshall said quietly, his bangs strategically balanced over his eyes, shielding them. Gumball sighed, wondering how the party was going. He was not about to go back down in his current disarray.

‘’I made mistakes, miscalculations. But- I think I was just scared. I’m sorry,’’ Gumball said, feeling Marshall’s arms tighten around him.

‘’I’m sorry too. I would’ve sooner, you know. We’re all just scared, I think,’’ Marshall said.

‘’Hey.’’

Gumball lifted himself to look down at Marshall.

‘’I think a couple of immortals like us can give to another go, if you want,’’ Gumball offered, his palpitations speeding up at the proposition.

‘’Of course I want to, you gum wad. Why do you think I even came to this lame party? No offense.’’

Gumball kissed him deeply, and pulled himself over to straddle Marshall Lee and rest on top of him. ‘’We could slow dance tomorrow with the leftover decorations if you wanted to,’’ Gumball suggested, worried that Marshall actualy wanted to dance with him earlier.

‘’This is my slow dance, you dork, it’s all I wanna do,’’ Marshall sighed, licking Gumball’s bottom lip. Gumball blushed, remembering the song.

And to think he would’ve sent him out into the night just a few hours earlier. Time’s such an entity. But he’s in a state currently where he couldn’t force himself to care about that ridiculousness. All that mattered was the soul in his bed who cuddled him like he was saving up the last two hundred years’ worth of missed opportunities. And Gumball was so okay with that, that he finally felt calm.

What a fun night after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Woohoo, get that smutty action. I can't get enough, don't judge me, love me
> 
> I got the slow dance song Marshall Lee version [right here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTRHkdx89h8)
> 
> *Side note... Who watched Distant lands first episode??? Wasn't it spectacular!!! Can't wait for Bubbline episode next!!!!!
> 
> [Follow me if you choose :3](https://www.instagram.com/lozislaw/)


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